Lewis: Our Proposals Support Students

Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis speaks with reporters at about 7 p.m. Wednesday after a third day of negotiations with school officials.

(Published Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012)

At about 8:30 p.m., CPS Chief Education Advisor Barbara Byrd-Bennett told reporters that school officials were holding out hope that teachers and students could return to class Thursday while the negotiations continued.

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Lewis said Wednesday's discussions included concerns about school-closings, the recruitment and hiring of teachers of varying backgrounds and ethnicities, schools not having playground equipment and the lack of air conditioning in many schools.

"Our children are sweltering in 98-degree weather while people that sit in air conditioned buildings with spreadsheets are treating our children like data-points," Lewis said outside the Hilton Chicago on South Michigan Avenue. "Our children are not expendable. We are extremely concerned about it and our proposals account for that."

NBCChicago.com reported last summer that nearly 75 percent of Chicago's public schools lacked air conditioning. Summer classes were canceled at least twice this summer due to excessive heat.

Additionally, and apparently contrary to what Byrd-Bennett said earlier in the day, the two sides have had "hours" of face-to-face negotiating time.

"We have not formally met with them. We have not received a formal response to our proposal," she told a throng of reporters at around 2 p.m.

But CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey explained there were several small groups of people meeting on various issues and suggested that various people have been coming and going throughout the talks.

Rev. Jesse Jackson paid the parties a visit in hopes of promoting cooperation but said he left disappointed.

"They should be meeting around the clock," he said. "The sense of urgency within the room does not comply with the sense of urgency within the streets."